This invention relates to a fuel system particularly adapted for internal combustion engines and more particularly to a fuel control system which enables more efficient burning and utilization of fuel.
There is a great deal of concern regarding pollutants which are emitted from the exhausts of automobiles and similar apparatus. Basically, there are presently available a number of anti-pollution devices as catalytic converters and so on which are being employed in conjunction with present automobile engines to reduce pollution. The function of such devices, as indicated, is to reduce the amount of pollutants which are dispelled into the atmosphere due to the operation of internal combustion engines.
Essentially, the more efficient the burning of the fuel, the less pollutants which are emitted and it is acknowledged that a great deal of the deleterious substances emitted by such engines are due to the fact that the gasoline or fuel has not been fully burned. This fact besides the pollutant problem accounts for decreased efficiency, poor gas mileage and so on.
There are a number of patents which exist in the prior art which attempt to preheat the fuel prior to the ignition of the same and to thence utilize the engine exhaust gases or the engine's heat for vaporizing the fuel prior to introduction into the engine. The vaporization of fuel does provide for an improvement in efficiency and can serve to reduce the number of pollutants dispelled by the engine.
As indicated, patent such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,147,416 entitled A VAPORIZING DEVICE, U.S. Pat. No. 1,319,718 entitled KEROSENE VAPORIZATION FOR INTERNAL CONBUSTION ENGINES show and depict the concept of vaporizing fuel prior to ignition. Other patents as U.S. Pat. No. 1,326,000 entitled CARBURETOR as well as U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,442 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,382 show various ways and means of heating or evaporating fuel prior to ignition of the fuel during engine operation.
Essentially, the idea of vaporizing fuel by using engine heat in an internal combusion engine is fairly well known in the prior art and there are many ways as the above patents indicate of accomplishing the same.
In any event, such systems do not provide for an efficient way of monitoring the engine performance in order to determine that the engine is, in fact, operating at increased efficiency in spite of the fact that the fuel is preheated or vaporized prior to combustion. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus to be used in conjunction with an internal combustion engine; which apparatus serves to monitor engine performance and adjust the amount of the fuel being fed to the engine on an automatic basis. These and further objects of the present invention afford an improved apparatus for obtaining greater engine efficiency and a cleaner exhaust in a simple and reliable manner.
The objects of this invention while described in regard to internal combustion engines, are applicable to various other types of engines, as will be described.